Grim Reaper
by LockXOn
Summary: Howard Link helped Allen Walker to escape the Black Orders interrogation cell. And now he has to take responsibility for it.


Authors' notes:

I don't own DGM, obviously.

This FF I wrote after reading the 204th Night directly when it was published, so the plot is now outdated and set in an alternate universe.

Also, English isn't my first language. If there is misspelling you can't overlook, please send me a message.

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"- to death by firing squad. Do you have anything to say for yourself before the verdict is carried out, inspector?"

Link remained silent behind the darkness of his blindfold. He remained silent like he did since his arrest at the hands of his own comrades.

Just what did he possibly _could_ have said?

Their questions hadn't even arrived him at that time, neither the short-tempered ones by the high brass of the Vatican, nor the patient ones proposed by the generals, and surely not those precariously posed by the exorcists, who sometimes secretly did visit him... Even not those asked by Leverrier, who had emanated an arduously restrained rage.

The attack of Apocryphos had affected his consciousness greatly, potentially increased due to his fierce resistance. The other affected guards who had stood in front of Walkers' cell at that time, were long since up and about again. Totally blacked out, but up and about and back on their duties. Of course they had been questioned, too. But in contrast to himself they had given plausible answers.

That they couldn't remember what had happened at all. And because all of them had given that same statement, it seemed obvious that the Noahs who disappeared alongside Walker, had tempered with their memories beforehand. Those poor victims had been cared for and cured. In contrast to himself. Because, when it had been his turn to be questioned, he remained silent.

Just what did he possibly _could_ have said?

The enemy is among us. It's that cardinal who's sitting right next to you and asks me, why, for god's sake, I did help Walker to escape, Sir Bishop. He's an independent Innocence and he had tried to _eat_ Walker. It has been eligible self-defense, Sir Bishop.

And your point is...?

In their eyes Allen Walker wasn't _Allen Walker_. In their eyes he was an exorcist first and foremost. A tool. A mighty, if not the mightiest weapon against one hellish threat. If an Innocence would grew stronger through assimilation, who would care for the human named Allen Walker? And at the same time they thought him a cunning devil.

... When had _he_ started to see him in a different light?

He knew the truth. And so he couldn't do anything besides remaining silent. Chief Inspector Leverrier, Komui Lee, Bak Chan and all of the generals did have their suspicions, of course.

Of course.

It wasn't that the Noahs would gain something by erasing the witnesses' memories. Their interest in Allen Walker wasn't exactly a well hidden secret. No, only a traitor in their own ranks had a reason to remain incognito. But he just _had_ to be an Innocence. It was unthinkable that the Church would prefer one single human life to the one and only remedy against Earl Millennium.

Link heard the executioners applying their rifles. His hands trembled and he braced himself against his bonds. Of course he was afraid of dying. The fact that he couldn't see a thing because of his blindness since the attack – the blindfold was just a poor substitute for a bandage – didn't make it less difficult to bear this sad destiny.

Two times the matron had tried to treat him. Those disputes had even reached him in his muddled kind of state. He even had to laugh one time as he had heard the guards' screams of pain. He felt the deepest gratitude for this woman who had tried so hard to help a goner such like himself. But in the end, she had been unsuccessful. There weren't any medications for a traitor. And after a few days he hadn't even felt the painful throbbing anymore.

And in just a few minutes he would be out of the woods anyway. The judges seemed to deem it necessary to share something instructive with the onlookers, because he heard fragments of "Do not be overcome by evil" and "This happens if you stray from the path of god". Even the term "Broker" felt and he clenched his fists in a short lived streak of hurt pride. Never would he betray his fellow men for money! But who would believe him yet? For one side he was just a cold hearted crow, for the other just a broken puppet, for the rest nothing more than an unscrupulous traitor.

But nontheless didn't he regret helping Allen Walker. What he did regret was the disappointment he had in exchange planted in Chief Inspector Leverrier. He did owe that man a great portion of favors and he did hold the highest respect for him.

But he did owe Walker just the _same_. And he did feel more for him than was acceptable for a mere supervisor. Concerning the "cardinal"... If the orders' leaders really weren't interested in the exorcists' feelings at all...

Was he even still standing on the right side?

A heavy punch in his shoulder brought him for his last moments painfully back into reality. The execution had started.

A shrill voice to his right started to scream hysterically, followed by agitated turmoil which lost however any of his attention when more and more bullets came crushing into him.

_'Don't cry for me, Lenalee Lee. I'm not an ally who saved your friend. I'm just a crow without a past and without a future. If I would have the time, I would pray for you. For you and all of your fellow exorcists. And especially for Allen Walker. If someone can save this world, it will be him. Because, if Walker really isn't that important... Why did I feel such an ominous threat emanating from that cardinal?'_

-Some time later-

Link only felt freezing cold and hot pain when he regained consciousness.

That, and the strange certainty of being watched. He forced open his eyes and stared directly into the heavy blurred, grinning face of a dead man. Unable to move his limbs even a little, a worrisome thought stalked him.

"Am I... in hell?"

The man punched his head with a fist and snorted scornfully: "I can see that Allen did teach you a good amount of humour, little inspector. One look at me and you expect the worst, don't cha? But I can assure you, you aren't either in hell or in heaven. You aren't even exactly dead. That means, not _yet_ of course. Hey, buddy, how's it looking?"

An unfamiliar voice came from behind him and something was tightly laced around his left upper arm: "This boy has an unbelievingly strong will to live. It's a wonder to hear him breathing even after five direct hits. If we don't bring him to a place with high standard medical treatment however I can't guarantee for his safety. Okay, I have stilled the blood flow for the time being. Take him to the car." "You've heard the man! Off with you", the walking corpse thundered and took hold of his arms to lift him up onto his back. The moan full of pain he ignored elegantly while at it.

"That's disgusting", their unknown companion growled, "how can they call themselves a charity institution? How the hell can they treat their dead in such a way?!" His carrier shrugged nonchalant: "This is the orders' dumpster. It's usual procedure to burn the corpses secretly to prevent the creation of Akumas. But those which aren't of any danger to morph because they don't have either family or anyone else to mourn over them get unloaded here."

They began to walk and the dead man looked at him from the side, smiling: "I knew at once that I would find you here when your execution was announced. They did spread the decree nationwide, you know?" Link frowned exhausted: "... But... Why...?" His voice was so weak that he nearly couldn't hear even himself. There was a chuckle: "It's obvious that you are dead tired. Of course you were used as a decoy for my idiot apprentice. I think they thought he would come rescue you." Link closed his fatigued and itchy eyes: "... But... he didn't come..." "Quite right", confirmed the man with a chuckle, "it seems he's smarter than my breakfast bun after all." A few minutes went by where there only were muffled footsteps on the dry ground of the stony beaten path.

"Dashed?"

The blond opened his eyes a little and mulled over the question.

"... I'm glad he's safe... and that he doesn't get into more trouble because of me..."

"..."

"..."

"_Dashed_?"

"... ... ... A little bit."

The man laughed softly. But then he grew serious: "He _did_ want to, of that I'm sure. I think the one whom he is with right now did prevent him from trying. It is very likely that they had to beat him up, bound, gag and brick him in to hold him back."

Why did these words comfort him so much? He didn't help Walker to become the nail of his coffin in the same breath! But somehow the idea of not being disposable to someone warmed him up from deep inside. What brought him back to the matter at hand and raised an issue in his admittedly currently not very adequate working brain.

"General Cross... why are you helping me?"

They arrived at the car and the redhead opened the door before clicking with his tongue and letting Link slip from his shoulders: "Why, huh? Well, I think because you did save the miserable life of this terribly brainsick good-for-nothing student of mine."

"How... do you know..."

"Mere speculation. Why should Leverrier agree with the execution of his adjutant? Only reason that comes to mind is, you must have associated with the wrong people. And in this case it could only be Allen. And because noone of the big cheese at the order would care about his _death_, you must rather have saved his _life_. Am I not right?"

He was laid down on the backseat surprisingly gentle, but got himself a slap on his fingers when he tried to touch his burning eyes: "Stop that, if you don't want to go permanently blind for real. And now be silent. Save your strength, for I'm not up to dispose of a coffin dodger I only just picked up. Namely it's a whole shitload of effort!"

"... Understood."

They drove on and he let himself be lulled into a light semi-sleep by the rumbling of the engine and the quiet dialogue of his rescuers. For an unknown time he dozed, before a long suppressed desire began to spread through his mind, which he couldn't hold back any longer for the life of him.

The desire to _answer_.

"General... Cross...!"

"Goddamnit, you're digging your own grave here! What _is_ it?!"

"The... cardinal... He's an Innocence and he... wanted to... _assimilate_ Walker! He's... he can't be an ally... he is..."

Cross turned hastily towards him and pressed down on his shoulder to prevent him from rising and hurting himself even more: "Relax. There's more than enough time for that later."

"But... he's _dangerous_! What if... he tries to... the other exorcists..."

"That won't happen, don't worry. That bastard is only interested in Allen. That I'm absolutely _sure_ of, okay? So just _relax_!"

Despite Marians' soothing words, Link began to shiver tremendously. Why hadn't he said something to anyone? Even if they couldn't have done something, the generals, the exorcists, Lee and Chan, Leverrier... They would, at the very least, have been _alarmed_!

"I didn't... warn them! Why... why didn't I..."

A warm hand on his blonde hair made him pause: "Innocence can do a whole lot of stuff. If this cardinal didn't want to be exposed, it is entirely possible he played with your mind. You couldn't have by any means prevented that. And now calm down. There's more than enough time for any of that _later_, Howard."

The pain, the stress accumulated over the past few days, the worries for their allies took a toll on him, and Cross' sobriety relaxed his muscles almost against his own will. Finally at the end of his tether, Link passed out.

Cross' companion geared up: "It astounds me that he didn't ask you how you possibly could have survived yourself." Groaning, the general pinched the bridge of his nose: "That's up next, I suppose. That's up next, you can count on it..."

* * *

The end!

Thank you for reading!


End file.
